OWE-3 Timing of pre-emptive TIPS does not alter patient outcome, a UK multicentre study

IntroductionInternational guidelines suggest consideration of pre-emptive transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (pTIPS) within 72h of endoscopic haemostasis following acute oesophageal variceal bleeding (OVB) in ‘high-risk’ patients. However, the 72h timeframe is arbitrary and pTIPS placement beyond 72h has never been explored. Large observational multicentre studies underscore continued equipoise regarding the value of pTIPS and, with the inclusion of a recent randomised control trial (RCT), highlight the difficulty in accessing timely interventional radiology to provide a non-emergency service in real-world clinical practice.MethodsPatients referred to 4 UK tertiary centres for pTIPS between 01/01/2010 – 31/12/2018 were included in the prospective data collection. The time to pTIPS from index endoscopy was recorded and pre-defined clinically relevant outcomes were observed relative to two groups, ‘early-TIPS’ (